Confirmation Spring 2015 Information Packet Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church Greensboro, NC
Dear Parents and Sponsors, Confirmation is one of the three essential Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic Church. It builds upon the graces received in Baptism that redeemed us from Original Sin. Confirmation strengthens us in the life of the Holy Spirit through His particular gifts that enable us to live out the supernatural calling we were given in Baptism. It also intensifies our bond with God the Father, the Church, and Jesus Christ, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The Church in Her wisdom uses the Confirmation preparation to reach out to individual young people and to prepare them adequately for active participation in the liturgy, evangelistic mission of the Church, and a life of servant leadership to their wider community. Thus, our diocese requires both a remote preparation of two years of formal religious education (through a Catholic school, homeschool program, or Religious Education class) and a proximate preparation of about 6 months held all together with the other Confirmation candidates. Your teen is now entering that period of proximate preparation. This phase of preparation solidifies a young person in his understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmation, deepens his prayer life, authenticates his view of other human beings as valuable through active service, and challenges him personally to prepare his heart and mind for the reception of the Holy Spirit s gifts. The Confirmed are, like the Apostles after Pentecost, charged with a mission to spread the Gospel through their words and actions. A short, once a month training and discussion session will help the Confirmandi to feel confident and receptive to this deeper calling to share in Christ s apostolate of truth and love. In addition, none of this makes very much sense if the Confirmandi are not regularly attending Sunday Mass and going to Confession at least once a year. It is through these Sacraments that a young person especially prepares his soul as fertile ground to receive the Gifts of God. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with these young people. At this crucial time in their lives there are so many distractions and pressures that push them toward the world s idols of success. Strengthened by the Holy Spirit and encouraged by the mentorship of their parents, sponsor, pastor, and religious education instructors, teens are equipped to find the path God has prepared for them that will lead them to ultimate fulfillment and peace. Thank you so much for the sacrifices you make to place this preparation for life as a priority for them this year. I promise you that you could not invest in anything that would bear more fruit. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, Kelly Henson Youth Minister Our Lady of Grace
Getting Reoriented on Confirmation Like most of you I received my First Holy Communion before I was Confirmed. That was sequence, Communion then Confirmation. But later, while earning a minor in Catholic Theology, I learned something important: Confirmation is the second sacrament of initiation, not the third. When we bring adults into the Church, they are baptized, then immediately confirmed, and then they make their First Holy Communion. This happens all in one Mass, the Easter Vigil. What I came to realize was that the original order (Baptism Confirmation Eucharist) for these sacraments was normal for children born into the faith for most of our history. Catholics in the past were baptized as infants, confirmed between 10 12 years old, and only then made their First Holy Communion. It was not until 1910, when Pope Pius X moved the age for Communion down to 7 (without commenting on Confirmation) that the order became disrupted and became the order we and our parents and grandparents grew up with for the past 100 years. However, there has been a growing awareness of a problem with the change. And in fact the Second Vatican Council said that in the Latin Rite (the Roman Rite we are part of) the original order of the sacraments should be restored. Why? The reason is this, as Pope Benedict said in a major teaching document: It must never be forgotten that our reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist. In other words, Confirmation is part of our preparation to receive the Eucharist. It is the Eucharist that is the source and summit of Catholic initiation. The Eucharist, prepared for by Confirmation, is received when we have all the tools (the Gifts of the Holy Spirit) to work effectively within us and to help make us fruitful disciples. Our Catechism in paragraph 1275 explains how this original sequence of the sacraments of initiation mirrors and builds on our natural human life cycle: Christian initiation is accomplished by three sacraments together: Baptism which is the beginning of new life; Confirmation which is its strengthening; and the Eucharist which nourishes the disciple with Christ s Body and Blood for his transformation in Christ. Baptism Confirmation Eucharist is the order in the other dozen or so Rites that make up the Catholic Church. It is the order used by all the Orthodox Churches and by the Oriental Orthodox. It is the order called for in the Church s basic canon law. It is the order of 95% of our history and all the billions of Catholics that history encompasses, as well as with those entering the Church through RCIA today. Now obviously, we can t just change the order on our own as a parish and it s a bit late for your children to do it anyway! (Let me add that while some bishops in the United States are beginning to restore the original order in various dioceses, I have not heard it discussed here. Yet.) But we can get our thinking straight and approach Confirmation in a different frame of mind.
Our GOAL is the Eucharist! Confirmation is not the source and summit it is a necessary part of the way to the source and summit. The Eucharist is Christ Jesus Himself, and receiving Him and growing in relationship to Him is the goal. Confirmation, by completing our Baptism, makes us readier to receive and more able to put the Eucharist into practice (since we will have strengthened gifts from the Holy Spirit, for example). Therefore, with Confirmation, we are really ready for the full power of the Eucharist to begin working in us and transforming us. Confirmation, then, is spiritually the completion of Baptism. It is not Christian maturity it sets things up so we can grow more and more mature throughout our lives with the weekly help from Jesus as Eucharist. It is, as Pope Benedict teaches, ordered to the Eucharist. Jesus talks about Christians being light so people can see, and recognize the true, good, and beautiful. And Scripture talks about the work of the Holy Spirit as fire which warms people up and enlivens them. So think of the Sacraments of Initiation this way: each of us is like a piece of wood, muddy or covered with dirt wash it off (Baptism) with a little water, then splash it with a little oil (Confirmation) so you can light it up. Good start, but how do we keep the fire going? What can make it grow to provide a lot of light, a lot of warmth for a long time? To do that, we have to FEED THE FLAMES (with the Eucharist, week by week). Your children will be Confirmed so that the Eucharist can help them grow and produce fruit. Confirmation is not a reward for being grown up. Eighth graders can t drive, can t vote, can t marry, can t join the military, etc., and they certainly have not reached full maturity as Catholic followers of Christ. Confirmation, for 8 th graders, is only the end of initiation, not some kind of graduation much less retirement from growing in Christ! To receive Confirmation and not to continue with weekly Communion is to thwart the entire point of Confirmation itself. Your children need Confirmation so they can have that full power of the Eucharist as they begin moving toward young adulthood where they will need a lot more maturity to handle the challenges they will face. You parents remain absolutely necessary during this process after Confirmation to get the Confirmed ones to the Eucharist on Sundays, to see that the whole family prays and serves, to see that the teens keep learning from the Scriptures, the YouCat, and other good Catholic resources. To that end, the next page lists the kinds of questions we will be asking the young people (and you, through them). They (and you) should read them over carefully before signing and returning the Commitment to Confirmation form.
Are you open to Confirmation? Do you want your hunger for the Eucharist, for Jesus Himself, to increase? Do you want God to help you pray more? Pray more seriously? Do you want to hear Jesus speak to you more clearly in the Mass? Even if that means He is challenging you? Do you really want to listen to Him? Do you want God to make you eager to listen to the Scriptures or read them and learn about Him in the Bible? Do you want God to make you hungry to learn what His Church teaches us and how to understand it and live it? Do you want God to change your heart, deep inside, so that your heart, your very deepest self, is more like Jesus heart? Do you want a heart that hurts when it sees people mistreated or suffering? Do you want a heart that hates evil and sin, and wants to please our Father in heaven? Do you want a heart that rejoices when it sees good things, hears true things, and loves beautiful things? Do you want a heart that recognizes its Savior is Jesus? Do you want a heart that wants to be close to Him and become like Him, with his courage and willingness to stand up for truth and goodness, even if it hurts? If you do want these things, you are open to Confirmation. You are ready to commit to preparing for it.
Commitment to preparing for Confirmation My family and I are prepared to commit to my preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. My desire is to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will, with my Baptism, make me more fully able to respond to the gift of Our Lord Himself as the Eucharist. With the help of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I will go forward in hope, receiving Him each Sunday so that I may grow toward real maturity as a Catholic Christian in my high school years. Signed Candidate for Confirmation Printed Name of Candidate: Signed Parent(s) Signed Sponsor (signature only if available right now) You must be a practicing family registered in OLG to be accepted for Confirmation. If you are registered in any other parish, you must receive permission in a letter from your pastor to receive the sacrament in this parish before we can accept your registration. Our Lady of Grace Church Due Nov. 2, 2014
Our Curriculum This year, Dynamic Catholic released a brand new Confirmation program called Decision Point. The remote preparation the Confirmandi have received and are receiving is primarily catechetical in nature, teaching them what the Church teaches and why. For their proximate preparation, Decision Point reviews a few key concepts from Church teaching, but the emphasis is personal, practical, and evangelical in nature. The Confirmandi will focus on why and how to have a relationship with Christ in their day to day lives. One of the benefits to this engaging program is that all of the materials and videos are available free to anyone to see online and on the Decision Point phone app. These resources enable parents and sponsors to see exactly what the Confirmandi are learning, to discuss it with them, and to embrace the faith challenges alongside their teen. It also enables Confirmandi who are forced to miss a session to make up the class online. View the program at: http://dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation/ Download the app at: For iphones https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/decision point catholic app/id879575647?mt=8 Or for Andriods https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.subsplash.thechurchapp.s_7q95gn&hl=en Decision Point uses handbooks (provided by OLG) and a personal Bible for each student (bring from home). The Confirmandi are responsible for bringing their texts to all of our sessions and for completing the brief workbook questions at home for each chapter. Group discussions in a class of 60+ only encourage the most outgoing students to participate, while the others remain silent or distracted in the background. Therefore, we need a team of parent volunteers who are willing to come each month and lead a small group (5 8 teens) through a few questions. These parents will help facilitate short conversations on given questions. They do not need to do any particular preparation for each class. These consistent small groups will help the students to forge new friendships or deepen old ones, to build trust and an ability to talk about their faith, and to benefit from the example of a Catholic adult who sincerely wants to invest in them.
Your Confirmation Sponsor: facts and procedure Because Confirmation is so closely related to Baptism, the most appropriate Sponsor for Confirmation is one of your godparents. You need one, and only one, Sponsor for Confirmation. The Sponsor may be either male or female. If you have two (as for instance, if you have both your godparents) one must be male and the other must be female. If you had a non Catholic Christian witness at your baptism, they may participate again as such, but you will need a Catholic Sponsor. Anyone serving as a Confirmation Sponsor must meet the following criteria: Has received the Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic Church (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist). If married, has a marriage that is recognized by the Catholic Church. Attends Sunday Mass and strives to live the teachings of the Church, as certified by their home parish. (More information below). Is 16 years of age or older. Is willing to support you by prayer, conversation, and example of a Christian life. Is not your parent. (Your parents are, as with Baptism, the Catholics primarily responsible to raise you in the faith. Godparents and Sponsor are supportive substitutes if your parents are unavailable). It is possible for your parent (or someone else) to stand as proxy for a Sponsor unable to attend the service. Both the proxy and the actual Sponsor have to meet all 6 of the criteria listed above. If you use a proxy, both the proxy and the actual Sponsor need certification from their home parish. Sponsor (and proxy) certification: If the Sponsor or proxy is a member of Our Lady of Grace simply fill out the attached form and turn it in by Feb 1, 2014, and we will check it with our pastoral staff. Then you are done! If the Sponsor or proxy is a member of any other parish in the world, the Sponsor or the proxy must request a letter from their home parish certifying that he or she is a member of the Church in good standing. [You fill out the first form for OLG and you send the second letter to the sponsor s parish.] Many parishes in the US have their own versions of such letters since they are used to receiving certification requests for Baptisms and Confirmations, etc. You may also copy and send this and the form letter to the Sponsor or proxy for them to consider. The next page can serve as a form for certification they can take to their local parish.
Confirmation Sponsor Form: (print full name of sponsor) has been invited to serve as a Confirmation sponsor at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church for (print full name of teen to be Confirmed). Check which one applies: My Confirmation sponsor is an active & registered member of Our Lady of Grace parish My Confirmation sponsor is not a member of Our Lady of Grace but is an actively practicing Catholic. I or my sponsor has given the sponsor s parish office a letter requesting a note be sent to Our Lady of Grace certifying that my sponsor is a member in good standing at that church. <> ONLY if your sponsor is unable to be present at the Confirmation, please fill out the following: (print full name of proxy) has been invited to serve as a Confirmation sponsor proxy at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church for the teen listed above. [A proxy may be the teen s parent, but they still must satisfy the other specifications that a sponsor needs to fulfill.] Check which one applies: My Confirmation sponsor proxy is an active & registered member of Our Lady of Grace My Confirmation sponsor proxy is not a member of Our Lady of Grace but is an actively practicing Catholic. I or my sponsor proxy has given the sponsor s parish office a letter requesting a note be sent to Our Lady of Grace certifying that my proxy is a member in good standing at that church. This form should be turned in to Kelly Henson by February 1, 2015.
Certification for Confirmation Sponsor: I (print full name) have been invited to serve as the Confirmation Sponsor for (print first and last name of teen) of Our Lady of Grace parish in Greensboro, NC. I meet all the requirements for Sponsorship and need to send them a letter from my home parish certifying that I am a member in good standing. The letter needs to be signed by the appropriate pastoral minister and be stamped with the parish seal or sent on parish letterhead. It may be returned to me by hand or mailed directly to: Our Lady of Grace Church Attn. Kelly Henson 2201 W. Market Street Greensboro, NC 27403 1611 Thank you very much for your help with this. I look forward to encouraging my candidate to continue growing in their relationship with our Lord and their understanding and practice of the faith. Sincerely,
Confirmation name: Traditionally, men and women, boys and girls who are being Confirmed in the Catholic faith choose a Confirmation name. They choose a saint to be their patron, or advocate, or life guide from the many thousands who have gone before us. It could be a saint they particularly admire, perhaps one who faced particular kinds of challenges or represents people of a certain type background, kind of work or interests, involvement in missions or particular kinds of service, etc. Rather than become a formal part of your legal name, your confirmation name is more private, more of a secret spiritual name, though one we can share with family and our friends. The Scriptures are one rich source for such names, and you may also re choose your baptismal name, or the Christian name of a relative or your Sponsor. And there are thousands of other possibilities among the many, many saints, martyrs, confessors, doctors of the Church, and other holy men and women in our Catholic history. Since the saint is an intercessor or spiritual resource for you, you may also choose either a male or female saint. (Note: You may also use a feminine form of a masculine name or vice versa, such as Henrietta if you are a girl for St. Henry, or Francis for Frances if you are a boy, though most people simply take the name of the saint they most admire without worrying about it.) Your final choice is due on March 7, 2015 with your reasons for your choice. Please show in your reasons that you know something about the saint s life, patronage, etc. You may use this sheet or type it on a separate paper. Here is a good online source for some 8,000+ saints names and information about them: http://saints.sqpn.com/ My final choice for a Confirmation saint name is: I choose because Signed: (print your first and last name)
Confirmation Service Preparation Service, or ministering to others, is an everyday part of the lives of all Christians. This should simply continue as Confirmation approaches. In order to encourage teens who are not used to an active participation in the life of the Body of Christ, we have several minimal service requirements that will help the teens to explore different ways of serving within their parish and community. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are expressed in love towards others and in reverence towards God. They enable us to live out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy more authentically in our daily lives. The Corporal Works of Mercy The Spiritual Works of Mercy Feed the hungry Give drink to the thirsty Clothe the naked Shelter the homeless Visit the sick Visit the imprisoned Bury the dead Admonish the sinner Instruct the ignorant Counsel the doubtful Comfort the sorrowful Bear wrongs patiently Forgive all injuries Pray for the living and the dead Each Confirmandi is asked to explore at least 2 Corporal Works of Mercy (think, hands on service) and at least 2 Spiritual Works of Mercy (think, service through prayer and participation in liturgy and religious education ). Some of the ways of serving are more obvious than others one can feed the hungry by helping out at a soup kitchen. Some of the ways of serving are less obvious one can visit the imprisoned by visiting people at a nursing home who often feel abandoned and purposeless. I don t recommend taking the Spiritual Works of Mercy in their most literal interpretation (Admonishing the Sinner for 1 hour by telling my sister all the things she should be doing to be nice to me) but rather in an active and concrete but more remote, spiritually supportive role (you accomplish ALL of the spiritual works of mercy by praying peacefully outside an abortion clinic with 40 Days for Life for an hour). Service hours should be signed by an adult who is leading the event or activity using your log sheet. If there is not someone available (for instance at a liturgical event), a parent may sign the sheet. A total of 12 hours of service are asked of each student. Keep in mind that the students must complete both Spiritual AND Corporal Works of Mercy. The point is not to add a burden to students who are already active in the community but to encourage variety and a consistent habit in active service. Paid service or jobs do not count.
Here are some ideas that would qualify for service hours. Many opportunities present themselves on a regular basis through the OLG bulletin. Most Anchor Youth Group service events are open to middle school students as well as high school students; however, it is not our responsibility to provide all of the hours needed through our events alone. Corporal Works of Mercy Feed the hungry Urban Ministry, soup kitchens, food collections, parish events that need servers Give drink to the thirsty volunteer at a race for a good cause Clothe the naked help with a clothing drive or getting gifts for poor children at Christmas Shelter the homeless volunteer with Habitat for Humanity or Room at the Inn Visit the sick homebound ministry, visit nursing homes, volunteer your time to help a sick person or pregnant/new mom with meal prep, child care, yard work, or house cleaning Visit the imprisoned same as above Bury the dead maybe indirect by helping to clean the church with Altar Committee Spiritual Works of Mercy Serve in liturgy through choir, lecturing, altar serving, ushering, etc. Prayerfully attend a special service like a formal holy hour, funeral, or celebration of a feast day that does not fall on a Sunday or Holy Day Pro life prayer, like participation in 40 Days for Life (spring & fall), the March for Life (Jan), or the Life Chain (Oct 5 th ) Assist with a Religious Education class Going to a cemetery to pray for the Poor Souls in November If you have questions about type of service qualifying, feel free to e mail Kelly Henson at youthminister@olgchurch.org. Many many things fit the spirit of what we re trying to accomplish here. Quick Service Summary: 12 Hours of service, minimum 2 Corporal Works AND 2 Spiritual Works, minimum For each event fill out the hours sheet For the one activity that had the biggest impact on you, fill out the reflection sheet Staple all of it together and turn it in to Kelly Henson by March 29 th, 2015. For OLG School Students!!! If you just make an extra photo copy of your hours for school & your reflection sheet for school, YOU RE DONE! This year, the service committee at the parish school and the youth ministry office worked together to find a list of requirements that worked well for both of us. The only Confirmation specific requirement is that the teens do at least 2 Spiritual Works (some sort of extra prayer, liturgical participation, or religious instruction) within their hours count.
Service Hour Log Hand in by March 29 th, 2015 Confirmand s Full Name: Date Time Time Total Person or Organization Type of Service Authorized Signature Start Done Time Served (label Corporal or Spiritual) If you need extra space just make another copy of this page. For one of the above activities fill out a copy of the next page.
Service Reflection Sheet Confirmand s Full Name: What type of service did you do? What Spiritual or Corporal Work of Mercy did it reflect? (if any) Answer the following questions in a paragraph reflection: What were your responsibilities, or what did you accomplish? How do you think the person or organization benefited from your service? How did your actions bring Christ to the person or organization you served? Describe a special moment. How did your act of service make you feel? Was any part of the service difficult for you personally? How will you make service, or stewardship, a way of life? Was any part particularly challenging or new for you personally? Why? Why do you think this sort of event is important (to you individual or to those served)?
Final Summary & Notes Make sure your teen is properly registered for Confirmation with the parish. Hand in a copy of the Confirmand s Baptismal Certificate to the office asap. Your teen is required to go to all proximate preparation, including the retreat & preparation evenings. Each teen may have up to 3 excused absences with a note from a parent to the Youth Minister. Even if a date is missed, paperwork deadlines remain the same and the Confirmand will be required to make up the class online (or to go to a different retreat). Try hard not to miss this is a vital part of your teen s formation. o The dates are as follows: Oct 5, 2014: Preparation Night, 6:30pm 8:30pm in the school Nov 2, 2014: Preparation Night, 6:30pm 8:30pm in the school Dec 7, 2014: Preparation Night, 6:30pm 8:30pm in the school Jan 4, 2015: Preparation Night, 6:30pm 8:30pm in the school Feb 1, 2015: Preparation Night, 6:30pm 8:30pm in the school March 7, 2015: Retreat, full day in the new Parish Center & OLC March 29, 2015: Preparation Night, 6:30pm 8:30pm in the Library Remote preparation through Religious Education classes (inside or outside of school) and regular Sunday Mass attendance are necessary throughout this year. By November 2, 2014 review the question sheet with your teen to determine Confirmation readiness. Sign and turn in the Commitment for Confirmation form. By February 1, 2015 turn in the Sponsor Form By March 7, 2015 turn in the Sponsor Parish Letter (if they are not an OLG parishioner) and the Confirmation Name sheet (for everyone). By March 29, 2015 turn in Service Log & Reflections. Confirmation dates are announced several months in advance by the diocese. It usually takes place during the Easter Season. We will make that date and the date of the rehearsal public as soon as we know them. Both the Confirmation and rehearsal must be attended by all teens and their sponsors (or a proxy). More details will be given leading up to those dates. All of the forms in this Information Packet and the packet itself will be posted online under the Confirmation tab for easy access and printing. All questions about Confirmation may be directed to Kelly Henson at youthminister@olgchurch.org. I look forward to celebrating this beautiful Sacrament with you and your teen. Thank you for your active support of your teen s spiritual development and completion of the Sacraments of Initiation.